Depth chart for RW/Griffins

[jimmyemeryhunter 2,747]

True. But and this is key, Holland and Blashill have both talked about dekeyser-Green and Kronwall-Ericsson being the top 2 pairs with YTD being the 3rd pair. Now we just resigned Smith to a 2 year deal. So he is going to get first shot you would have to think. That leaves Kindl, KFQ, and marchenko fighting for minutes on the 3rd pair. if marchenko is up he has to play. Otherwise leave him in GR. Kindl is in the box most nights. Yes to much money but it is what it is. Buy him out next summer baring a major step forward this year.

Now because KFQ was good last year, his value is at an all time high. he might get us a second round pick. it is hard to imagine him ever playing better than last year, history suggests he can and has played much worse, which would drop his value. Make the move now and rejoice!

I imagine well see a rotation of guys during preseason/start of the regular season, so blash can see what he has and what he wants to do going forward, then a trade would probably be made.

We have too many defenseman, and a log jam of forwards, so a move has to be made sooner or later.

[Jesusberg 1,256]

Not sure if these have been tossed out there, but just stumbled upon them myself.

https://twitter.com/AnsarKhanMLive/status/616610293339308032

https://twitter.com/AnsarKhanMLive/status/616609984592396288

So, looks like both Kindl and Smith will be given chances to play under Blashill. Honestly, I don't really have an issue with it, TBH. With how close he was to XO, Marchenko and Jensen, he knows what he's going to get out of those three. Once he sees what he has in Kindl and Smith, he can make a more informed decision. Going to be interesting to see Smith get the PP and what he'll do with it.

[number9 3,297]

True. But and this is key, Holland and Blashill have both talked about dekeyser-Green and Kronwall-Ericsson being the top 2 pairs with YTD being the 3rd pair. Now we just resigned Smith to a 2 year deal. So he is going to get first shot you would have to think. That leaves Kindl, KFQ, and marchenko fighting for minutes on the 3rd pair. if marchenko is up he has to play. Otherwise leave him in GR. Kindl is in the box most nights. Yes to much money but it is what it is. Buy him out next summer baring a major step forward this year.

Now because KFQ was good last year, his value is at an all time high. he might get us a second round pick. it is hard to imagine him ever playing better than last year, history suggests he can and has played much worse, which would drop his value. Make the move now and rejoice!

Where and when did Blashill spell out his top 4? Source?

And Smith gets the nod bc he re-signed recently? In what world does that logic makes sense. U do realize he's making a lot less than Q? Why? Cause he's about half the player Q is.

[e_prime 1,936]

Where and when did Blashill spell out his top 4? Source?

Ansar Khan ‏@AnsarKhanMLive Jul 2

Blashill likes idea of pairing together the offensive Green and defensive DeKeyser but said nothing is finalized as far as lines/parings.

With the above tweets about Smith and Kindl. Looks as if Blash is playing his cards pretty close to his chest at this point. Needless to say, he's got options. Some seem more risky, but may have high reward.

Because they don't have to clear waivers, I think we're looking at all of our defensive prospects starting their year in GR while Blash takes a look at what he's got with the six d-men from last year plus Green.

Then I imagine that Holland is going to have to look and see which of our defensemen can garner the most return.

Is it Ericsson or KFQ? If it's Ericsson, sign KFQ to an extension first. If KFQ wants to test the UFA market... trade him.

Can Smith and/or Kindl and/or a defensive prospect be packaged with a forward(s) and bring back a nice return?

Edited July 3, 2015 by e_prime

[number9 3,297]

Ansar Khan ‏@AnsarKhanMLive Jul 2

Blashill likes idea of pairing together the offensive Green and defensive DeKeyser but said nothing is finalized as far as lines/parings.

With the above tweets about Smith and Kindl. Looks as if Blash is playing his cards pretty close to his chest at this point.

Needless to say, he's got options.

I imagine that Holland is going to have to look and see which of our defensemen can garner the most return.

Is it Ericsson or KFQ? If it's Ericsson, sign KFQ to an extension first. If KFQ wants to test the UFA market... trade him.

Can Smith and/or Kindl and/or a defensive prospect be packaged with a forward(s) and bring back a nice return?

Basically my point.

I doubt we dump any of our D-men. Green is bound to be injured at some point, as well as others. Smith and Kindl are lucky they have Blashill around to give them more chances. So far neither has amounted to much.

[Shinzaki 72]

They'll go to camp...Blashill and co will take a look at what they have and sort it out. Injuries and performance issues can be addressed as the season wears on. I'd love to see what Marchenko, Oullet and Jensen can do in the NHL, but if the guy who coached them in the AHL doesn't think they're good enough yet, so be it. Truthfully...Smith and KQ could be a really good 3rd pairing.

[kickazz 5,459]

True. But and this is key, Holland and Blashill have both talked about dekeyser-Green and Kronwall-Ericsson being the top 2 pairs with YTD being the 3rd pair. Now we just resigned Smith to a 2 year deal. So he is going to get first shot you would have to think. That leaves Kindl, KFQ, and marchenko fighting for minutes on the 3rd pair. if marchenko is up he has to play. Otherwise leave him in GR. Kindl is in the box most nights. Yes to much money but it is what it is. Buy him out next summer baring a major step forward this year.

Now because KFQ was good last year, his value is at an all time high. he might get us a second round pick. it is hard to imagine him ever playing better than last year, history suggests he can and has played much worse, which would drop his value. Make the move now and rejoice!

Blash basically said everything is still up in the air till after camp.

[matt198913 932]

E needs a change. He has regressed and is taking Kronwall with him. Our best pair in the past 3 years was Smith and Kronwall. Play Smith with 55 and let Green and 65 play together. Finish it off with 27 and a rookie. Bam over

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

E needs a change. He has regressed and is taking Kronwall with him. Our best pair in the past 3 years was Smith and Kronwall. Play Smith with 55 and let Green and 65 play together. Finish it off with 27 and a rookie. Bam over

I actually wouldn't mind this, but don't think Holland will ever move Ericsson. Could change if he plays like s*** again this season, if he can get back to how he played in the short season and before hurting his finger in the 13/14 season, then maybe we don't want to get rid of him. Someone is going to have to leave before the season starts.

[PavelValerievichDatsyuk 1,935]

They'll go to camp...Blashill and co will take a look at what they have and sort it out. Injuries and performance issues can be addressed as the season wears on. I'd love to see what Marchenko, Oullet and Jensen can do in the NHL, but if the guy who coached them in the AHL doesn't think they're good enough yet, so be it. Truthfully...Smith and KQ could be a really good 3rd pairing.

Clearly you don't remember them together 2 years ago.

With what we have, I want to see Quincey-Marchenko as the 3rd pair. There will be injuries and Smith will have to fight for Quincey's spot. If he does, then ship out Q.

I'm also for the unlikely scenario of turning some combination of E, Q, Smith, Kindl, into a really sold partner for Kronwall via trade.

Hopefully Ericsson training without a broken finger will mean enough improvement for the 1st pair.

[jimmyemeryhunter 2,747]

Ericsson gets too much flak.

He'll never be the best #2 guy in the league, but he's solid.

I think Last year was a bit of a write off because of his hand/finger injury.

Anytime he gets brought up by other fans, they rave about him... the hardest part about trading him would be him waiving the Ntc(that I'm not 100% sure he has, I'm just assuming)

He's a top four defenseman on practically every team in the league, if we make a move to where he ends up on the bottom pair playing next to a kid, we'd have a great defensive committee.

I'm real curious to see how things shake out, it does seem like a trade is almost a necessity at this point.

Edited July 4, 2015 by jimmyemeryhunter

[jimmyemeryhunter 2,747]

Jakub kindl, top pairing defenseman(ha) playing so little, he's barely an nhl-er.

Edited July 4, 2015 by jimmyemeryhunter

[krsmith17 7,191]

Why would you assume that Smith and Quincey would be a bad pairing based on their play together 2 years ago? Neither player are the same player they were back then, both have improved drastically. Quincey was a complete wreck, no matter who he was paired with and Smith was a turnover machine. I'm not saying that they would all of a sudden be money together, but I wouldn't assume they wouldn't be either... I think they could potentially be a very solid bottom pairing this season, if that is what Blashill elects to go with...

I also agree on Ericsson. He's much better than he gets credit for around here in my opinion...

[e_prime 1,936]

... the hardest part about trading him would be him waiving the Ntc(that I'm not 100% sure he has, I'm just assuming)

I've read it's a modified No-Trade that covers the first three or four years of the contract (see below) and probably includes the "I get to give you a list of teams that I'm willing to go to" clause.

http://kuklaskorner.com/tmr/comments/red-wings-morning-news-august-version-a-swedish-ericsson-interview-and-tidb

---

I still think giving Smith time with Kronwall should be an early season experiment.

Kronwall - Smith -- Kronwall can balance out Smith's defensive shortcomings, give him the green light to be aggressive on the puck. See if Smith understands that while we want him to be more offensive minded, he also has to play smart.

DeKeyser - Green -- Dekeyser can erase any of Green's defensive shortcomings, let Greenie do his thing.

Ericsson - Quincey -- Shutdown pair. Get these two laser sharp on just shutting down the oppositions' offense.

Nothing fancy.

Kindl - Rotates in on third pair against weaker teams where his offensive upside can possibly help out.

Edited July 4, 2015 by e_prime

[Datsyukian-Deke 722]

Yea I agree quincey needs to be traded. He actually had a solid year for us but we need Marchenko or Ouellet playing full time. Kindl is expensive to be a 7th defenseman but still provides us a little depth in case someone gets hurt.

[krsmith17 7,191]

As long as Quincey is fully healthy and can play at the level he played at last season, I'd take him over anything we have in Grand Rapids. Neither Ouellet or Marchenko are an upgrade at this stage of their careers, and to be honest I don't think either ever will be (Ouellet has a chance). I think Sproul still has the potential to be better, whether he ever will be is yet to be seen... If the cap isn't an issue, which it won't be, I have no problem whatsoever in paying Quincey his $4.25M to play steady defensive hockey on the 3rd pair... Kindl on the other hand, I would like to see him traded, and I believe he could be for a mid to late round draft pick...

[number9 3,297]

As long as Quincey is fully healthy and can play at the level he played at last season, I'd take him over anything we have in Grand Rapids. Neither Ouellet or Marchenko are an upgrade at this stage of their careers, and to be honest I don't think either ever will be (Ouellet has a chance). I think Sproul still has the potential to be better, whether he ever will be is yet to be seen... If the cap isn't an issue, which it won't be, I have no problem whatsoever in paying Quincey his $4.25M to play steady defensive hockey on the 3rd pair... Kindl on the other hand, I would like to see him traded, and I believe he could be for a mid to late round draft pick...

You're not getting it!

Kindl sucking + Smith sucking = trade Quincey

[Datsyukian-Deke 722]

As long as Quincey is fully healthy and can play at the level he played at last season, I'd take him over anything we have in Grand Rapids. Neither Ouellet or Marchenko are an upgrade at this stage of their careers, and to be honest I don't think either ever will be (Ouellet has a chance). I think Sproul still has the potential to be better, whether he ever will be is yet to be seen... If the cap isn't an issue, which it won't be, I have no problem whatsoever in paying Quincey his $4.25M to play steady defensive hockey on the 3rd pair... Kindl on the other hand, I would like to see him traded, and I believe he could be for a mid to late round draft pick...

I don't agree with this. Ouellet and Marchenko were both solid when they were called up last year. And although a veteran like quincey might be better in the short term, both those guys need playing time with the big boys to see just how good they really are. We will never know what we have if we don't play them and we will never play them with quincey and/or kindl on the team. I think Ollie or Marchenko should be in the lineup every night and both should get their chances.

[krsmith17 7,191]

... because the new shiny toy is always better than the old toy...

We have a lot of high end (forward) prospects in our system, but none of our defensemen project to be higher than a 2nd pairing guy (which is what Quincey is)... I think Ouellet could become a slightly better defenseman than Quincey some day (he isn't there yet), but I don't believe Marchenko will ever be anything more than a solid 3rd pairing shutdown defenseman. I think Sproul has the potential to be better than any of these guys, but he's clearly not there yet...

[Jesusberg 1,256]

You're not getting it!

Kindl sucking + Smith sucking = trade Quincey

I don't think people are saying that? It's more like... "Blashill says he's going to give Kindl and Smith a chance to play 'their' game in Detroit." I guess it depends on what you think KH has in mind. Is it going for it? If he is, he'll keep these seven defenders on the team. If he doesn't think this team can compete for the cup, he may very well have the mentality of, "well let's see what we have in these prospects" and allow them to rotate into that bottom pairing. It seemed as if that was his mentality a week ago.

Holland went on about the youth movement prior to signing Green and Richards - how these guys need to play in the NHL. Was most likely posturing, but I'm sure he feels the "kids" need to play soon, too.

It's not "Ugh, move Quincey, he's ****." It's more like the guy has one year left on his deal, after playing well all year. His is an easy contract to move to a team that thinks they need a solid LH shot. This team isn't moving Ericsson's albatross of a deal, and Blash is on record saying that he wants to give Kindl and Smith a shot. It's more like, "this move can be made to make room for a younger roster player."

The bottom line is that I think people are taking everything Holland and Blashill say as gospel, when really anything can change on any given day. Personally, I would like to see a spot on that bottom pairing used to rotate guys like Jensen, Marchenko and Ouellet into the lineup, but it's not the end of the day if it doesn't happen. Though, if this team isn't a cup contender, then why keep Quincey? Guess it depends on your perspective, really.

[DickieDunn 2,571]

Until we see what Holland can do to move a defenseman or two out, it's impossible to say what the roster will be like. Marchenko proved he can play in the NHL, Ouellet showed a lot of promise too and should be ok as an NHL player this coming season. I'm not sure I'd be thrilled with seeing Quincey and Smith moved without bringing in an upgrade on D and going with both kids though. That leaves them one big injury away from having Marchenko or Ouellet as a top 4 D for several weeks. I don't know if either of them will ever be that good, much less their first full NHL season.

As fro his comments on Kindl and Smith, I don't read too much into what coaches and GMs say publicly. They generally aren't going to say too many bad things and throw their guys under the bus.

[number9 3,297]

I don't think people are saying that? It's more like... "Blashill says he's going to give Kindl and Smith a chance to play 'their' game in Detroit." I guess it depends on what you think KH has in mind. Is it going for it? If he is, he'll keep these seven defenders on the team. If he doesn't think this team can compete for the cup, he may very well have the mentality of, "well let's see what we have in these prospects" and allow them to rotate into that bottom pairing. It seemed as if that was his mentality a week ago.

Holland went on about the youth movement prior to signing Green and Richards - how these guys need to play in the NHL. Was most likely posturing, but I'm sure he feels the "kids" need to play soon, too.

It's not "Ugh, move Quincey, he's ****." It's more like the guy has one year left on his deal, after playing well all year. His is an easy contract to move to a team that thinks they need a solid LH shot. This team isn't moving Ericsson's albatross of a deal, and Blash is on record saying that he wants to give Kindl and Smith a shot. It's more like, "this move can be made to make room for a younger roster player."

The bottom line is that I think people are taking everything Holland and Blashill say as gospel, when really anything can change on any given day. Personally, I would like to see a spot on that bottom pairing used to rotate guys like Jensen, Marchenko and Ouellet into the lineup, but it's not the end of the day if it doesn't happen. Though, if this team isn't a cup contender, then why keep Quincey? Guess it depends on your perspective, really.

So Blashill says he's going to give Smith and Kindl a chance... and Holland wants the kids to play... so we trade Quincey to allow these things to happen.

Smith and Kindl continue their reign of terribleness, and the kids are ok, but not an upgrade over Quincey. In that scenario, which I think is more likely than any of Smith + Kindl + Kids suddenly becoming studs, we neutered our back end just to give some guys a chance?

Look when Kindl or Smith inevitably suck again, bench em and play a kid. When Green or anyone gets injured, send in a kid.

I realize Q's contract is expiring, but I'm more concerned about keeping players who play well and ditching the players who don't.

[Andy Pred 48 337]

If a deal is in the pipeline for bringing in a #1/2 D you can bet your house O or Marchy will be in that deal. The day Big E and Q are our 3rd pairing is the day we'll be a legit contender, until then it is what it is.

Edited July 5, 2015 by Andy Pred 48

[Echolalia 2,961]

If a deal is in the pipeline for bringing in a #1/2 D you can bet your house O or Marchy will be in that deal. The day Big E and Q are our 3rd pairing is the day we'll be a legit contender, until then it is what it is.

I just don't think a deal is on the horizon. Even with the overflow of players and the lack of NHL roster spots for them all. We've been down this road a couple times in the past and LGW (myself included) have expected a trade because we have more players than roster spots. Then we hit training camp and a couple players get injured. They go to LTIR and suddenly no one needs to be moved. Eventually those guys get healthy but then a couple more guys are injured, and it turns into an LTIR ferris wheel and Holland never ends up having to address the issue of too many players. He's a man who values depth for exactly this reason, and I suspect this year will be similar.

[krsmith17 7,191]

Griffins have re-signed Jeff Hoggan and Tristan Grant (back after one season in Milwaukee) to one year deals and Nathan Paetsch to a two year deal.

It looks like we will see a very similar team as we seen last season.

I'm thinking something along the lines of...

Bertuzzi - Larkin - Mantha

Athanasiou - Miele - Zengerle

Tvrdon - Nosek - Frk

Hoggan - Porter - Nastasiuk

Grant - Campbell

Ouellet - Marchenko

Paetsch - Sproul

Lashoff - Jensen

Evans

McCollum

Coreau

Of course things can change if any of Andersson, Ferraro or Callahan are sent down, or if any of Marchenko, Ouellet or Jensen make the Wings out of camp, but that's what I'd like to see as it stands right now...